This show was performed by the NK Theatre Arts senior youth theatre members, so we are talking about young people aged 16-18. It was great to see Hannah Thomas reprising the role of director, musical director and choreographer which she had previously undertaken when NK last performed this show 10 years ago. The show is a musical adaptation of the film and television series “Fame” and follows a group of students at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. The script showcases the experiences of the students as they pursue their dreams of a career in the performing arts.
The cast is led by the extremely talented Olivia Barton in the role of Carmen Diaz who is developing into a multi-talented singer, dancer and actress who succeeds in all that she attempts. She was given the opportunity in this performance to showcase the wide range of her talents and certainly took the prize for the most costume changes in the shortest time! Olivia had to cope with a variety of very demanding sections within her performance and she pulled all of these off exceptionally.
The interaction of the pairing of Colby Voss as Nick Piazza and Lilly-May Leonard as Serena Katz (a role originally played 10 years ago by Dawn Wrigley, who just happened to be sat next to me in the audience!). Both have similar ambitions to become “real” actors, Nick wanting to leave behind his time as a child performer and Serena who wants to be recognised as a talented actor in her own right. Sam Hardman gave an energetic performance as the ambitious dancer Tyrone Jackson, who struggled to overcome his own personal difficulties which held him back from achieving his goals, but of course talent will win out in the end. A special mention must go to Maddie Bates who has been around at NK for as long as I can remember and has always been a competent dancer but her vocals are now developing so that she is able to hold her own alongside other senior members of the cast.
Once again though, the outstanding performance of the night was from the insanely talented Megan Voss as the stern but caring teacher who encourages the students to fulfil their dreams through discipline and hard work in all aspects of their lives. Megan absolutely stole the show with an outstanding solo performance of the song “These are my children” which for me was the highlight of the evening. There is no reason why Megan cannot go on to achieve the stardom of the previous young lady who took on this role 10 years ago (Louise Shufflebotham, who is now a singer out in Dubai!).
Once again NK have come up with a group of young performers who it is an absolute joy and privilege to watch on stage and I am only sorry that I cannot highlight all the individual performances, which were complimented by 20 or so performers who made up the ensemble and put together a performance which was worthy of being presented on a greater stage. Congratulations to all involved.
The show continues until Saturday 12th July and I believe tickets are available for the remaining performances from the NK Theatre Arts website. I would encourage people to take the plunge and go along to watch a wonderful piece of musical theatre from a group of extremely talented young performers.
Reviewer: David S Clarke
Reviewed: 10th July 2025
North West End UK Rating: